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From: weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Wimpy Math Grad Student)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Netiquette
Message-ID: <14980@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 24-Jul-86 01:13:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.14980
Posted: Thu Jul 24 01:13:39 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Jul-86 05:26:32 EDT
References: <926@tekig5.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Wimpy Math Grad Student)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 22
Summary: on improving newsgroup appropriateness

In article <926@tekig5.UUCP> chrisa@tekig5.UUCP (Chris Andersen) writes:
>     ** When making a followup, check the subject line and change it if it is
>	no longer correct. **

>o  There is an extra header line called 'Followup-To:' that was designed for
>   use in cross-posting and redirecting topics.

These remind me of a proposal I made a few months ago, to which I received
zero feedback.

I wish posting software would encourage this sort of thinking.  Specifically,
before sending, but after the article is written, the software should query
newsgroup by newsgroup what its status is.  The responses [yfn] would mean:
    y	Yes, post to this newsgroup.
    f	Followups should still be directed to this newsgroup.
    n	No, this newsgroup is inappropriate.

The default "Followup-To" line, in case all groups get a y/n response, would
be the first group only.  (That is currently done by some posting software,
I've been told.)

ucbvax!brahms!weemba	Wimpy Grad Student/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720